Author Guest Post: Love & Luck

Today, I am lucky enough to have Jenna Evans Welch, author of Love & Gelato, on the blog as part of the blog tour of her latest release, Love & Luck! If you have ever been curious about the life of an author, you’re in luck because Jenna is sharing a peak of what her day-to-day life looks like!

A Day in the life of Jenna Evans Welch

Thanks so much, Jordan, for the opportunity to be featured on your blog! It must be said—book bloggers are the best kind of people 🙂 I loved your suggestion to write a post about what a normal day in my life looks like—not because I think my days are particularly interesting, but because I do find it crazy that I’m managing any writing in the day-to-day chaos of my home life! I’m hoping it will be inspiring to anyone struggling to write: if I can write, you can. So here goes . . .

Wake up. This is almost never pleasant. I am not a morning person, and it doesn’t matter how much sleep I’ve gotten, it’s never enough. I rarely wake up to an alarm clock, usually it’s my son doing a karate jump onto me while simultaneously growing four extra elbows that are magnetically drawn to my ribs. Good morning!

The morning is full of mom life—breakfast, attempting to wrestle my baby into clothes (if it were up to her, pants/shirts would not exist), chasing the dog down the street (he loves a good chase), making and forgetting to eat my own breakfast, swim lessons, and that magical part of every morning when I realize that I hate what I’m wearing and have to change three times before I get it right. (It doesn’t matter what the day involves, I have never in my entire life been able to choose the right outfit the first time.)

Afternoons are for writing. I settle my daughter in with her babysitter, drop my son off at school, and head to my favorite coffee shop Salt Lake Roasting Co, where I’ve written for almost ten years. It has the perfect broken in feeling—slightly sti
cky tables, friendly staff, and really great pound cake. I drink coffee, daydream about faraway places, and have a few hours to hang out with whatever project I’m working on. This part of my day never lasts long enough.

Evenings are more chaos. Baths, dinner (about fifty percent of the time this involves spaghetti, because if you haven’t seen a baby enthusiastically eat spaghetti you haven’t lived), more chasing of the dog, playtime, and in the summer usually some time in our hammock—we have a pretty dreamy set up between two leafy trees. Both kids are read a mountain of books and then put to bed. At this point I always swear I’ll get to work on something adult (dishes, bills, etc.) but I almost always end up falling down on some soft surface and reading instead. Around 10 PM I get a strong urge to bake something excessively messy and involving large amounts of butter, and I either give in or go to bed. The morning begins with more small elbows . . . rinse and repeat!

For me, the key to writing while also being a mother (and this would apply to being a student, having a day job, etc.) is to compartmentalize. Writing time is writing time—I do my best to not think about the rest of my life during my few hours I have. And when I’m home I try to focus on what I’m doing there rather than wishing I was in my book (this doesn’t always work, once ideas start they rarely want to wait). I’m not always great at it, but being present is key—the more you can commit to whatever part of your life you’re currently living, the better you’ll be at whatever it is you’re doing.

Thanks so much for this opportunity! I hope you all enjoy LOVE & LUCK.

With luck (but mostly love),
Jenna


22718738About Love & Luck

Release Date: May 8, 2018
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Addie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding, and hoping she can stop thinking about the one horrible thing she did that left her miserable and heartbroken—and threatens her future. But her brother, Ian, isn’t about to let her forget, and his constant needling leads to arguments and even a fistfight between the two once inseparable siblings. Miserable, Addie can’t wait to visit her friend in Italy and leave her brother—and her problems—behind.

So when Addie discovers an unusual guidebook, Ireland for the Heartbroken, hidden in the dusty shelves of the hotel library, she’s able to finally escape her anxious mind and Ian’s criticism.

And then their travel plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with Ian and his admittedly cute, Irish-accented friend Rowan. As the trio journeys over breathtaking green hills, past countless castles, and through a number of fairy-tale forests, Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother.

That is if they don’t get completely lost along the way.

About Jenna Evans Welch

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | GOODREADS

Jenna Evans Welch was the kind of insatiable child reader who had no choice but to grow up to become a writer. She is the New York Times Bestselling author of LOVE & GELATO and the upcoming LOVE & LUCK.

 When she isn’t writing girl abroad stories, Jenna can be found chasing her children or making elaborate messes in the kitchen. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and two young children.

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